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We note German boys wearing a wide variety of juvenile oufits, both sets and suits. The difference being that sets were done with blouses or to aesser extent shirts. Suits were done with jackets. The most common juvenile outfit by far was the sailor suit at least until after World War II. Sailor suits were called suits because the top and pants matched, but most were matching blouses and pants. Here some sailor suits were done with jackets, but most were blouse outfits. Other sets were butoon-on outfits. There were many other styles of suits we see Germany boys wearing. Here we are just considering the styles for younger boys once the boys were breeched. Unlike America, the Fauntleroy suit was not very popular in America, but we see a few boys wearing them. We do see a variety of velvet suits. Here we are just beginning to assess the different styles worn by younger boys.
We note German boys wearing a wide variety of juvenile oufits, both sets and suits. The difference being that sets were done with blouses or to aesser extent shirts. The most common juvenile outfit by far was the sailor suit at least until after World War II. Sailor suits were called suits because the top and pants matched, but most were matching blouses and pants. Here some sailor suits were done with jackets, but most were blouse outfits. Other sets were butoon-on outfits.
The skeleton, the first purpose made boy's outfit. It was also a button-on outfit. We know little about the first half of the 19th century, however, because photography wa not invented until 1939 and not common until the CDV appeared (about 1860). We see butto-on outfits in early CDVs, This mean that button-hoes in the pants were sewn to mtch with nuttons on the shirt or blouse. The blouse either matched or were coordinated with the pants. The buttons in these outdits were often hidden in the 1860s and late-9th century. We do not see the buttons be more prominently displayed until after the turn-of-the 20th century. After World War I we see many younger boys including some school-age boys wearing button-on outfits. The buttons often were prominantely displayed and were part of the styling. We continue to see these oufits into the 1970s, but for mostly pre-school boys.
Appropriately it was in England during the first quarter of the 19th century when someone had the inspiration that boys should wear sailors' trousers. (Some sources suggest an even earlier appearance of the sailor suit as boys' atire. It is none with certainty that the style was popularized when Queen Victoria began to dress the young princes in sailor suits during the 1840s. The fashion spread to Germany and by the 1880s was one of the most popular styles for boys. This continued through the 1920s. Much older boys wore sailor suits in Germany than in Britain or America, especially after World War I (1918), but declined in the 1930s and was only worn by younger boys after World War II (1945).
Juvenile boys also wore suits. Unlike sets, suits were done with with jackets. Noys commonly wore suits in the late-19th and early-20th century. We note quite a few different styles.
While only limited information is available on Germany, HBC believes that Fauntleroy suits were not as commonly worn in Germany as in America, England, and France. Some boys, however, did wear them--including suits with lace collars. I believe that the Fauntleroy suit and long hair, especially ringlets, were less popular in Germany than in America and other European countries. We do not have adequate information at this time, however, to make any definitive statement. We do know that Fauntleroy suits were worn to some extent in Germany, but we do not know to what extent. We believe that it may have been more of an aristocratic or wealthy than a middle-class style as was the case in America. Also there may have been significant regional differences. Germany was only unified in 1871 and destinct regional differences persisted in Germany for many years. Fauntleroy suits seem more likely to have been worn in Bavaria, for example than more austere Prussia.
We notice German boys wearing fancy velvet suits with extensive emroidery in the 1870s. There is some similarity to the Fauntleroy suits of the 1880s, but tge collars and trim are much plainer.
A popular suit style for German boys at the turn of the 20th century was the Norfolk suit. We see quite a number of boys in these suits. They appara to have been a popular school style. We see this as more of a style fir schoo-age rather than younger boys.
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